WADESBORO — Two games into the new season, the Lady Raider softball team has earned a pair of convincing mercy-rule victories.
Traveling across the Pee Dee River to longtime foe Anson High School on Monday to makeup a rain-out from last week, the Lady Raiders rolled past the Lady Bearcats 15-2 in five innings.
Richmond used the combination of a complete game from junior pitcher Kearston Bruce, along with an offensive attack that saw the Lady Raiders plate six runs in back-to-back innings to secure the non-conference win.
Bruce, who earned the win in her first career varsity start, gave up just two runs (one unearned) on two hits, while striking out six Lady Bearcats. She also worked out of a couple of late jams, escaping the third and fourth innings by stranding two base runners both times.
“Keartson pitched really well tonight,” head coach Mike Way commented. “The big thing right now is trying to get her and Paige (Ransom) confident so they can pitch any night. Both of them have their strengths and it depends on who we’re playing and the matchups we face.
“I see it as having two No. 1 pitchers,” he added. “And that’s a good problem to have.”
Bruce sat down the Lady Bearcats in order in the first and fifth innings, gave up lone runs in the second and fourth innings, and notched a crucial strikeout to end the third with runners on first and second.
“A couple of those jams I created by trying to work on some pitches,” Way explained. “I’ll take the blame for that, but it’s a good opportunity to work on some things in a live game situation.”
The Lady Raiders’ bats would string together 11 hits, seeing eight of their 10 batters record at least one hit.
Freshman Quston Leviner, sophomore Allyiah Swiney and junior Payton Chappell all collected a team-high two hits, while Swiney and Chappell each recorded a game-high three runs batted in.
The duo, along with sophomore Kenleigh Frye, all scored three runs, with Frye adding two RBI of her own. Leviner and teammates Madison Jordan, Taylor Waitley and Maylyn Wallace all added one RBI in the win.
Anson sent sophomore pitcher Haileigh Boone to the circle to start, but she was chased from the game after facing just six batters. Boone gave up three runs in the top of the first on one hit and issued three base on balls.
Chappell brought home Swiney and Frye on a bloop single to shallow left field in the first, and scored the inning’s final run when she stole third and advanced home on an error by Anson third baseman Katie Horne.
Ashlyn Gatewood replaced Boone in the circle and pitched the rest of the game, but gave up 12 runs on 10 hits in 4 and 2/3 innings. She also struck out a game-high seven batters.
A one-out double by Camryn Martin led to Anson’s first run in the second inning, which saw Martin score an at-bat later on a ground out to third base.
Sophomore outfielder Maylyn Wallace got Richmond’s six-run fourth inning started with a solo bomb to straightaway center field on the first offering from Gatewood. That was followed by a walk to Bruce and a Leviner double moved both runners into scoring position.
Swiney dug in and slapped a two RBI triple to the right-field corner, plating Bruce and Leviner. Using her speed, Swiney raced safely home on the relay throw to give Richmond a 7-1 lead.
Frye kept the inning going with a walk, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball. Chappell scored Frye in the next at-bat when her fly ball to right field was dropped, letting her advance to third. A wild pitch from Gatewood let Chappell trot home safely.
Anson (1-1) scored its second and final run of the game in the home half of the fourth, as Mallory Sikes made it to the plate following a throwing error.
Richmond used a two-out rally in the top of the fifth to break the game open, plating six more runs off of Gatewood. Sophomore Paige Ransom led offthe inning with a single and was replaced by courtesy runner Shyann Byrd.
Following two quick outs, Leviner recorded her lone RBI on a base knock to left. A single from Swiney put runners at first and second, and a line drive single from Frye to center allowed Leviner and Swiney to race home.
Chappell kept the inning going with a double to center, scoring Frye. Sophomore catcher Taylor Waitley followed suit with an RBI base knock to left, and she scored in the next at-bat when senior Madison Jordan crushed a double to the alley in center for the game’s final run.
“We made good adjustments to the pitchers,” Way explained of the offensive onslaught. “We got on (Boone) pretty quick, and (Gatewood) really had us against the wall for a couple innings.
“We were chasing some pitches, but when we quit doing that and started swinging at pitches in our zone, we had much better results,” he added.
It will be a quick turnaround for the Lady Raiders (2-0), as they’ll welcome in a tough Purnell Swett team on Tuesday to open Sandhills Athletic Conference play.
The Lady Rams enter the series also 2-0, and are averaging 12.5 runs per game, comparable to Richmond’s 14 runs per game.
“We’ve worked out some of our kinks these first two games, but Purnell Swett is going to be a test,” Way closed. “They’re a good team and they’ll be good Tuesday and they’ll be good Friday. It’s just a matter of who does the little things well. We’re looking forward to getting after them.”
First pitch from Lady Raider Stadium is set for 7 p.m. on Tuesday.
